


A Wounded Soul (Falling for Me)

by menel



Series: The 6-Word Prompt [3]
Category: Pacific Rim (2013)
Genre: Anniversary, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Post-Movie(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-21
Updated: 2016-10-21
Packaged: 2018-08-23 18:48:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,302
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8338738
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/menel/pseuds/menel
Summary: A proposal on the eve of an anniversary.





	

It wasn’t Raleigh’s idea to go to the cemetery today. The anniversary of the Battle of the Breach marking the end of the Kaiju War was tomorrow, and while it would be a day of celebration for the rest of the world, for his partner it was also a day of mourning. Raleigh still remembered the months leading to the last days of the Kaiju War. There had been the palpable feeling of despair, the sense of impending doom, as the Kaiju incursions had grown more frequent and with increasing intensity. Operation Pitfall had been the Hail Mary to end all Hail Mary’s, a suicide mission through and through. Even if it had been a success, Raleigh had never expected to walk out of that mission alive – hadn’t expected any of those Jaeger pilots to do so. And if they had failed, what would there be left to return to? 

But Raleigh had walked out of Operation Pitfall alive. As had Mako. And Herc. And yet, one year later, Raleigh was still trying to come to terms with it all. He couldn’t even imagine what this moment was like for Herc.

Officially (not that Raleigh kept track of these things, but Mako certainly did, and he suspected that Herc did too), he and Herc had been together for eight months. Herc had even moved in with him four months ago. Things between them had started off slowly, almost glacially so. They’d barely known each other during the war except for a brief meeting in Manila. But being in close proximity to someone, especially in the aftermath of something as monumental as the Kaiju War and being expected to pick up the pieces so the rest of the world could move on, naturally changed that. Herc loathed the spotlight – first Scott, and then Chuck had drawn the media’s gaze – and hated admin work even more. Unfortunately, succeeding Pentecost meant that he had plenty of both those things now. So, Raleigh took the burden of the spotlight off of him, resuming a long-ago role as the poster boy of what was left of the PPDC. He wasn’t as helpful when it came to the admin work, but Mako was there for that. She’d always been the steady hand behind the scene, and the post-Kaiju world didn’t change that. Together the two of them made sure Herc’s grief didn’t end up with the new Marshal drowning himself at the bottom of a bottle. 

In other, subtler ways, Raleigh kept Herc afloat in those first few months after the Battle of the Breach. They spent their work hours together, and then eventually their off-work hours too, until it became apparent that they spent almost all their time together. Once they found a rhythm, their relationship became an easy give and take. 

“Aren’t you sick of me yet?” Herc said one morning, sipping from his mug of black coffee as Raleigh fried some bacon and sausages.

It was a lazy Sunday morning in Raleigh’s beachside bungalow where Herc had taken to spending the weekends. Herc lived and worked in the re-opened Sydney Shatterdome, but Raleigh tried to get him out of there as often as possible. 

“Do you want me to get sick of you?” Raleigh asked mildly.

Herc remained silent, leaning against the counter as he watched Raleigh cook. Finally, he shook his head, as though reaching some kind of decision. “No,” he stated.

Before Raleigh could register what was happening, Herc had put his mug down on the counter and reached over, placing a hand at the back of Raleigh’s neck to draw him in, and then he was kissing him. Raleigh probably should’ve been surprised by that kiss – he was more surprised by the circumstances – but he wasn’t. Responding to it was the most natural thing in the world since some part of him had known that they were building to this point, that this had been an inevitable outcome. Unwilling to push, when in every other part of his life Raleigh strove for what he wanted, he had waited Herc out. He would always wait Herc out – a man so damaged by everything life had thrown at him – that Raleigh was simply thankful for whatever Herc had left to give him that he never expected any more.

When a light rain began to fall, Raleigh opened the black umbrella that he’d brought along. The evening forecast had been for rain showers, which would hopefully clear up before tomorrow’s official ceremonies got underway. Although a dreary, overcast day for the re-launching of the newly built Striker Eureka and Gipsy Danger (now upgraded to Mark 5), would have its own kind of quiet poignancy.

Raleigh waited a few minutes until it began to rain in earnest before walking over to where Herc was standing in front of Chuck’s empty grave and shielding him with the umbrella. It wouldn’t do for the Marshal to catch a cold on the eve of the anniversary. On the other hand, from Herc’s perspective it would be a perfect excuse to stay in and skip the celebration altogether. Raleigh would’ve spared him all the hoopla except that he’d be piloting Gipsy with Mako in the morning, which meant the Marshal would be on schmoozing duty. Such was life.

“It’s getting dark,” Raleigh said quietly, aware that he was stating the obvious. The afternoon light was fading fast and soon it would be difficult to see. 

Herc only hummed in response, hands in the pockets of his worn jeans. Just when Raleigh was about to say something else, Herc spoke. 

“We should get married.”

Raleigh was too startled to respond. Humor was a safe fallback, a defense mechanism that rarely kicked in when he was with Herc, but the moment was a little overwhelming. 

“Was that a suggestion?” he teased. “Because I didn’t actually hear a proposal.” 

To Raleigh’s continuing amazement, Herc was digging for something in his left pocket and when he pulled his hand out, there was no mistaking what he was holding between his thumb and forefinger even in the dimming light.

“I guess this is a proposal,” Raleigh murmured, as Herc passed him the ring.

“Didn’t plan on doing this here,” Herc said, a slight embarrassment coloring his tone. “Or now,” he added, as Raleigh inspected the ring.

Raleigh translated that to mean that Herc had been planning the proposal for some time, which was a shocking enough revelation. 

“Definitely not store bought,” he observed. The ring was handcrafted from two different intertwining strips of metal. On the surface, the metals appeared to be gold and silver but Raleigh knew that they weren’t. 

“Commissioned,” Herc answered. “From Gipsy and Striker. The _original_ Gipsy and Striker.”

The admission rendered Raleigh speechless. He couldn’t even begin to fathom how Herc had sourced the parts (which meant he had help, making Mako the most likely culprit). 

“Do you want me to get down on one knee?” Herc asked, when several long moments had passed and Raleigh hadn’t given him an answer. 

“Not in this weather,” Raleigh laughed. “Besides, I’m not sure your knees could take it, old man.” 

“Like I haven’t gotten down on my knees for you before,” Herc retorted. 

Raleigh laughed again. “It’s a good look on you,” he agreed, smiling fondly.

“Y’know, I haven’t heard a ‘yes’ yet,” Herc prodded, stepping forward. 

But Raleigh was already slipping the ring on his finger. “Yes,” he said simply, resting his newly adorned hand on the other man’s chest. He felt Herc slide his arms around his waist so that they were flushed together. “You realize,” he went on. “We’re not actually ‘out’ as a couple, aside from Mako, Tendo and a few other suspects.” 

“Well,” Herc said, leaning in to kiss him. “Everybody else will find out tomorrow.” 

 

**Fin.**

**Author's Note:**

>  **Disclaimer:** _Pacific Rim_ belongs to Guillermo del Torro and Legendary Pictures. No offense is intended; no profit is being made.


End file.
